Saturday, August 20, 2016

USA! USA! USA!Sorry.A few days ago, I claimed that the United States was starting to chip away at East African long-distance running dominance. A few minutes ago, University of Oregon miler Matthew Centrowitz just took out more than a chip.Centrowitz won the Gold in the 1500 meters. Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria won the Silver and Nick Willis of New Zealand won the Bronze.Perhaps surprisingly, Centrowitz took over the lead early and held it for most of the race. But Makhloufi looked strong. In that last 200 meters, I was certain the American was going to lose the lead. Not this time.Centrowitz beat the surging Makhloufi by .11 of a second.Fittingly, Centrowitz's current coach is American distance legend, Alberto Salazar.Final Results: